Royal Victoria Infirmary

Project Value

£120m

Client: Laing O'Rourke

Type: Public

The Royal Victory Infirmary forms part of Newcastle upon Tyne's 'Transforming the Newcastle Hospitals' 12 year project. It included the new Victoria Wing and a state-of-the-art Accident and Emergency department.

The replacing of the Newcastle General Hospital and the Victoria Wing doubled the hospital in size from its predecessor. At the peak of construction, there were more than 200 workers onsite every day, with 75% of those workers living local to the hospital. The expansion project not only provided opportunities for local suppliers but also created over 1,000 jobs at the hospital for new employees and physicians.

The role of our waste manager was to act within the waste management hierarchy on any given project. This has now become the cornerstone of sustainable waste management; by setting out the order in which options for waste management should be considered based on environmental impact. Access/egress, emergency escape routes and staircases were maintained on a daily basis and all floor areas were swept weekly, ensuring a clean and efficient site. This created a culture of cleanliness which Sub-Contractors bought into, helping reduce slips, trips and falls as well as dangerous build ups of waste and materials.

No stockpiling of waste was permitted on this project. The Waste Manager was responsible for ensuring that all Sub-Contractors complied with this. The Waste Manager was also responsible for the 24 hour clearance notice system, including the notification of costs to the Client for contra charging. Any waste left not cleared was dealt with by the Waste Manager, with charges being levied against the Sub-Contractor.